No one injured in tour bus fire in Auburn

A Canadian tour bus on route to the Thompson Speedway had to make a hasty stop when the vehicle started to fill up with smoke late yesterday morning.

At 11:15 a.m., the Auburn Fire Department received a report of a bus on fire in the parking lot of the Royal Lounge on Southbridge Street, Fire Chief Stephen M. Coleman Jr. said.

Fire crews arrived on scene to find smoke pouring from a tour bus on fire. The five bus passengers, all from Canada, were on their way to the Thompson Speedway. No one was injured, Mr. Coleman said.

The passengers said they were riding down the road when they began to smell something burning, and heavy smoke began to appear in the rear of the bus. They were able to get it off the roadway into the parking lot, Mr. Coleman said.

The fire was quickly extinguished and firefighters removed smoldering debris, including a mattress and clothing from the bus.

The Auburn Fire Investigation Unit was on scene and the fire is believed to have started when the bus engine ignited a piece of plywood that was under a mattress in the rear of the bus, Mr. Coleman said.

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